Just caught August De Los Reyes presentation titled, 'Emotional Design and a Vision for Microsoft Surface' thanks to
CHISIG in Melbourne.
The presentation blurb on the User Experience Network site reads,
A new inflection point in human-computer interaction is upon us. Along with other technologies, Microsoft Surface marks a departure from graphical user interface or GUI into the world of Natural User Interface or NUI. This talk begins with discussion of emotional design and its importance in the future of society. The lens shifts to how one design team is thinking about designing for a new era in which emotional intent and intuitive interaction are the imperative. Using theoretical models drawn from a mix of history, science, philosophy, and even video game design, this presentation reveals principles behind experience design for Microsoft Surface and beyond.
Really enjoyed August's style of presenting and came away with a fresh perspective and renewed interest in Natural User Interface (
NUI) design.
Of particular interest to me was the discussion around the
Mechanics - Dynamics - Aesthetics (MDA) framework and its implications. August explained that users first become aware of, and appraise, the Aesthetics of a system. From there, moving gradually through an exploration of the Dynamics toward the Mechanics. August made the point that designers, on the other hand, often begin with the Mechanics, working through Dynamics toward the Aesthetics.
August went onto link Mechanics with the
feel of quality, mentioning the work of
Shigeru Miyamoto and his attention to detail when
designing the Mechanics of games at Nintendo.
A few of my random thoughts from the presentation:
- a table is kinda big, considering the trend is overwhelmingly toward mobile devices.
- in a business environment, I can see the benefits of sitting around the interface campfire, but I think interacting with computers for many people is a more personal activity. Or maybe that's just the way we've been forced to use them so far...
- I'd be interested in the ergonomic impacts of looking down at a table top all day.
Finally, I'd just like to pick up on 2 of the 8 design principles August presented as being particularly relevent to Microsoft Surface.
Seamless Design - closing the gap, or smoothing the transition between the real and the digital.
Spatial Design - moving from interacting with a 2D environment toward interacing in 3D environments.
August highlighted both of these as being
super design principles and to me they both seem especially relevent to the design of virtual spaces environments.
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